The Laughing Corpse

The Laughing Corpse combines supernatural horror with detective noir in the second installment of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Anita Blake, a professional zombie animator and supernatural consultant, faces multiple challenges when a wealthy client requests her to raise a centuries-old corpse using forbidden methods. The investigation of a brutal murder scene pulls Anita into a complex case involving flesh-eating zombies and dark magic. Her expertise in supernatural matters makes her invaluable to the police, but her involvement draws unwanted attention from powerful figures in St. Louis's occult underworld. The story takes place in an alternate St. Louis where vampires, zombies, and other supernatural beings exist alongside humans. Jean-Claude, the master vampire of the city, continues to pursue a relationship with Anita while she navigates the dangerous waters between the human and supernatural worlds. The novel explores themes of power, moral boundaries, and the cost of using supernatural abilities. Through Anita's choices and conflicts, the story examines the line between necessary violence and corruption of the soul.

Readers view The Laughing Corpse as darker and more violent than the first Anita Blake book, with increased focus on zombie-raising and voodoo elements. Readers appreciated: - Fast-paced action sequences - Detailed worldbuilding around necromancy - Character growth for Anita Blake - The balance of police procedural with supernatural elements Common criticisms: - Graphic violence and gore - Too much focus on describing clothing - Repetitive internal monologues - Some found the pacing uneven in the middle sections Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 from 82,000+ ratings Amazon: 4.5/5 from 700+ reviews Representative reader comments: "The mystery plot is tight but the violence is overwhelming" - Goodreads reviewer "Hamilton excels at the forensic and procedural details" - Amazon review "Started strong but got bogged down with unnecessary description" - LibraryThing user The book maintains similar ratings to others in the early Anita Blake series, though slightly lower than the first book.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris A female supernatural investigator solves murders while navigating relationships with vampires in a southern town.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher A wizard works as a private investigator in Chicago while dealing with supernatural crimes and dark magic.

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton The first book in the Anita Blake series introduces the world of vampire hunting and supernatural politics.

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter A vampire's comarré must solve murders while balancing obligations to her supernatural master and her own independence.

Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey A supernatural hit man works cases in a dark version of Los Angeles filled with zombies, vampires, and demons.

🔍 "The Laughing Corpse" (1994) was only the second book in what would become a series of over 25 Anita Blake novels. 🎭 The character of Anita Blake was partly inspired by Hamilton's own experience working as a corporate technical writer, which helped her create detailed procedural aspects of Blake's supernatural investigations. ⚜️ The novel's St. Louis setting was chosen because Hamilton lived there and could accurately portray the city's unique architecture and atmosphere, particularly the French Colonial influences that complement the vampire Jean-Claude's character. 🔮 The book's portrayal of voodoo practices was extensively researched, with Hamilton consulting multiple sources on Haitian Vodou to create an authentic supernatural framework. 🦇 The novel helped establish a new subgenre of urban fantasy that combines elements of hard-boiled detective fiction with supernatural horror, influencing numerous authors in the following decades.